my life, as I know it.

a few of my favorite things

2009-12-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

our new imac is the baby we can afford right now. we are so excited about it! it looks great on our computer desk, but really doesn't match the rest of our hand-me-down house items. we expect to come home and find it beat up by the other outdated technologies faintly whispering, "why did leave me alone with them for so long?"

i have an hour ride to work almost every morning, right when "The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans" is on the radio. he is so insightful and fun to listen to. i know that God is using him in my life to make me a better person and i am so thankful to him and his ministry... even though he has no idea i listen to him.

it gets us here to there

2009-10-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

we got a new car...! my honda was about to explode so we hurried up and traded it in and got a 1999 jeep grand cheerokee. jed loves it, and i am having trouble getting over the initial grief of losing my beautiful honda. but i think i'll like it soon. :)

june 20, 2009

2009-10-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

the bridal party

my handsome groom :)
the family
us with pastor terry

self explanatory...
me and the F.O.B.

wedding cake
grooms cake the getaway car :)

fiesta

2009-10-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

in may my maid of honor katie miller threw me the wedding shower in the whole wide world. we decided on a fiesta theme to bid farewell to my thoroughly mexican name. she did a great job organizing everything and the decorations were great! we had a lot of fun. thanks katie!

humble abode

2009-10-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

so in march we bought a used trailer. during our engagement jed and i discussed what we wanted in a "first home" and we both decided we would be content with something small and cheap so that later, once we get a better handle on our student loans, we would have some kids and eventually build the house of our dreams. that's the plan anyway...
so, jed took the role as an active pursuer of our perfect starter home. we decided that the trailer route was the cheapest way to go, assuring pretty low payments. we had many leads, and actually went through the process of applying for a loan to get a very nice new trailer, but after realizing it wasn't going to be as cheap as we thought, we reconsidered. THEN, jed found THE ONE. a used $16,000 trailer. are you thinking "ew"? cuz i thought that too. so i went and looked at it, and it really wasn't that bad. i actually kind of liked it, and now having lived in it... i love it. it's absolutely huge! but the weird thing is that there is no door to the master bedroom...
regardless, we spruced it up since these pictures and i will post those soon, but i think you can get the general idea from these:

update?

2009-07-28T04:42:00.000-07:00

it doesn't take a genius to figure out that my newest new year resolutions did not involve keeping up with maintaining a blog. i actually didn't make any resolutions this year, and if i did subconsciously, it was probably to get straight A's in school and to work my butt off to try to have a wedding in march - neither of which happened. let's take a journey through the months, shall we?

january - i can't even begin to remember. i think i possibly started the middle of the month with my internship at the ARC. this mostly involved a lot of filing, learning the hows and whys of the program and helping out with adult basic education (my old job) as much as possible. although i feel my internship could have been more directed toward my major, i still realized how much i enjoy helping people. the simplest nice gesture can make people feel so appreciated. i really love being around the students at the ARC, who help me to understand what life is all about: loving God and loving people.

february - still interning. at this point i was having serious car issues and spent a couple hundred from my ever dwindling student account at LU (from surplus scholarship money) that wasn't being replaced as i had no job. it really sucked. anywho, jed and i went out for valentine's day and hit up our favorite place in the world:

afterwards, we went to see a movie. we wanted to see this:

but ended up seeing this:

which actually wasn't bad. jed and i concluded that guys really do act like pigs, and i reluctantly agreed that most girls are indeed irrational and kind of psycho.

march - our would be wedding month. i think we got a house this month, but i'll go into that later with another update blog. i also finished up my internship.

april - this month mostly consisted of jed and i working for the miller family on the blueberry farm. this involved grading berries, packing them into cups, assuring said cups were the correct weight, packing them in boxes, loading them, then shipping them. it's a pretty intense progress, though it is done in an efficient organized manner, and the millers do a great job with keeping their employees well paid and distracting them from being on the brink of insanity from all the montonousness (admittedly, i had to look up that word in noun form... i thought it was monotonaity).

may - blueberries AND graduation AND bridal showers! more in depth blog to come later.

june - wedding. again, more in depth later.

july - i'm currently working at sonny's. jed and i both received an answer to prayer when the pastor of the church jed leads worship for had lunch with jed and proposed a raise for jed so that he can now consider being actively involved in church ministry his FULL TIME JOB (there are a lot of "jed"s in that sentence). we are so grateful to pastor brian, but mostly to God, because He is not only meeting our financial needs, but giving jed the desire of his heart, just as He promises.

stay tuned for house pictures, graduation pictures, fiesta themed bridal shower pictures, and mostly, wedding pictures. :)

holiday cheer

2008-12-26T22:03:00.001-08:00

so i know i have a lot of things to cover, but i'm not going to. :)
i just wanted to share a favorite song of mine that i listen to thousands of times during the holiday season because the lyrics are just so good!
it also just helps to set me in the right mood and reminds me what christmas is really about.
i want to encourage everyone to just keep the right mindset during all of this hussle and bussle because it's just so easy to lose sight of what really matters: God's unspeakable gift and unconditional love.

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life
Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve
And from a lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That you were born so I might live
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life

i hope everyone had a merry christmas!

2 Corinthians 9:15

my most recent obsessions

2008-11-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

I love love love peppermint mochas from Starbucks. they are my favorite part of the Christmas season. Though some may argue that right now is NOT the Christmas season... I definitely go by Starbucks' calendar in this case...

WebMD is possibly the greatest site ever. For whoever doesn't know... I'm pretty much the worst hypochondriac ever... and I'm on this site nearly every day looking up "symptoms". I've discovered that I indeed have Tourette's, and a pinched nerve... pray for me. :)

And FINALLY... the BIGGEST obesession of all issssss (drum roll please):
This song makes me so happy! It makes my day... every day. :)

take a gander

2008-11-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.mywedding.com/jedandfeliciaelliott

obama

2008-11-05T05:28:00.000-08:00

despite my unwanted outcome, i believe we will be ok... i hope.

later to come:

1.) fall break
2.) beach trip!
3.) thanksgiving plans
4.) unfortunate circumstances

why have i become so concerned about politics??

2008-10-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

i remember now what the other issues i wanted to touch on from my previous post were:

immigration and the poor.

i'm not going to address this right now, but stay tuned.
i just wanted to post this song by brandon heath that has been my prayer for the past couple weeks:

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Chorus

I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way You see the people all along

Chorus (x2)

both political and non-political ramblings.

2008-09-28T15:29:00.001-07:00

so i have never been interested in politics before in my entire life. i remember the first time i voted, i voted for bush... and i don't even remember what year it was. why did i vote for bush? i honestly couldn't tell you. i knew nothing about his values and i didn't even know that he was the son of a former president! i still don't know anything about him, except for that i helped put him in office - and, now i obviously do know that he was the son of a former president. nonetheless, i'm pretty sure the only incentive i had for voting for him is because my parents did and because all of my friends did.
now, i know everyone is aware that is NOT a valid reason. it's a ridiculous reason.
looking back on my teenage years, i honestly do not think i had one original belief. all of my beliefs were based on others' views. how silly is that? but, in my defense, i didn't know any better. that's what i thought life was all about. that's what i thought made me who i was... other people defined me because other people knew better than i did. is that true? maybe, at the time.
going AWAY to college could not have been a better decision. I emphasize the word "away" because when i was at home going to college, everything stayed the same. the person i am today is because i left home. i'm not saying that all of my beliefs changed when i left home. in fact, many of them stayed the same. but i now i know why i believe.
at first, being away scared me. going to classes and being around a church atmosphere that i was not used to made me feel overwhelmed. i struggled to hold on to my [and by my, i mean others'] former point of view. it was confusing sometimes to hear other side of issues that i thought i was so grounded in. i wont lie, at one point i was even questioning God's existence [YES! at a CHRISTIAN school!]. but don't be worried for me. i did not question it long. i learned that it can be a good thing to question your faith. at least, it was good for me. i remember having long conversations with jed [whom i love SO MUCH because he gave me such great insight] and also with my mom [who encouraged me to find out things for myself]. i studied the bible about beliefs i had but couldn't back up or explain. and i found answers. sometimes i didn't though, and i got extremely frustrated. even now, there are some things that are so unexplainable i can't even think about it without wanting to throw something. but then i have to realize: is it worth it? does it even matter why i can't understand why God did some things in the bible? it doesn't change who God is. He is still God and will always be there. Jesus still came to earth - it's a historical fact. and He still died for me and rose from the grave 3 days later. and that's what's important.
but anyhow. back to politics.
this year, i still didn't care about who became our president. i can't tell you why i didn't care.
but now... all of a sudden, i do. i started to learn a little more. people kept asking me who i was voting for, and being at LU, i of course would cause a stink if i even hesitated before answering "MCCAIN!"
i actually told a lot of people i wasn't going to vote because i couldn't make an informed decision. which i think it actually wise. i want to be able to know what i'm voting for, and i didn't care to do the research; hence, no vote. to my LU peers: shocking.
but as thus election is getting closer, and at the urging of jerry jr., i began to get a little more curious about the candidates.
there are way too many aspects to consider when picking someone to run a country.
i'll give my view on a couple things:

education - i want my kid to be smart! and in no way will i be able to provide them with that luxury without sending them to a good school. but in palatka? puh-lease. :)
but wait. i'm NOT going to homeschool? nope. not unless i feel my child is in extreme danger by going to a public school. i think kids are going to do what they're going to do.
for example, take a look at my life:
my parents homeschooled me and my brother.
i was the good kid (not always, but most of the time), my brother was the bad kid (and i think he would agree).
we were both raised the same way, and we both turned out differently.
i understand that by homeschooling my children i can protect them from A LOT of things, but i cannot shelter them forever. i can only give my child a firm foundation and hope to God they will build upon it.
so anyway, from what i understand, education is a bigger issue with the democrats than the republicans. and while i think it is really important, i don't think it's something i value more than... oh, i don't know... a HUMAN BEING. which brings me to my next topic:

abortion - life begins at conception. i have no doubt about it. that a mother would even consider killing her baby because "she's not ready" is pure selfishness. own up to what you did and face the consequences, you idiot. sheesh.
i understand there are other aspects. pregnancy from rape. i totally understand that. it's really traumatizing. and i wouldn't blame a girl for wanting to get rid of that reminder. but guess what. she's never going to forget about it, even if she gets rid of the baby inside of her. getting rid of the baby isn't getting rid of the memory. it's still a person, and it still has every right to live as we do.
abortion is something i am very much against. and even though i know that whichever candidate becomes president, it's still going to exist - whether legally or illegally, i would still find that a lot more important than improving our education.

taxes - i really don't care. i pay it, everyone does, and it STINKS. and plus i think people who work for the government get paid way too much anyway. SAVE SOME OF THAT MONEY. do they really need all of it? [patoowy] [that was me spitting].

i think i had a lot of other issues i wanted to cover, but i really an getting tired of typing. maybe i'll continue this another day.
but wait, who am i voting for?
mccain.
why?
because i like his attitude and some of our values line up - the ones i consider the most important at least. even though he CHEATED on his first wife... the doofus.
obama is a good public speaker. and he would probably make a good president. but i'm not voting for him.
why?
because i think he's a little snotty. and i saw this video that made me REALLY not like him.
and these things may not be the best reasons... but they are mine. and i feel they are valid.

THE END.

you don't have to yell

2008-09-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

so I thought with the upcoming election and all, this song was appropriate. how i love chris rice. :)

So-called reality
right here on my TV
if that's how life's supposed to be, well
somebody's lyin'
the camera's on and we can tell
to keep you fame you have to yell
'cause tensions build, and products sell, and
we're all buyin'
I hope we're smarter than this

> Chorus
Everybody take a breath
why are all your faces red
we're missin' all the words you said
you don't have to yell

draw your lines and choose your side
'cause many things are worth the fight
but louder doesn't make you right
you don't have to yell, oh

you don't have to yell
I tuned in to hear the news
I don't want your point of view
if that's the best that you can do, then
Something's missing
and experts on whatever side
you plug your ears, you scream your lines
you claim to have an open mind, but
nobody's listenin'
don't you think we're smarter than this?

[Bridge]
If everyone will take the step
back away and count to ten
clear your mind and start again
we won't have to yell

engagement!

2008-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

thursday jed and i went to islands of adventure and universal studios.
we started the day out at 6:30 am (roughly), and proceeded with our 2 1/2 hour journey after stopping at dunkin donuts to fetch 2 glazed donuts, an orange juice, and a coffee (with extra cream and sugar) ;).
we arrived at the theme park(s) at approximately 9:00 am and quickly conquered islands of adventure since jed had never been. we then headed over to universal studios to try out the new simulated simpsons ride (which i was very bitter about and wanted to boycott since it took the place of my beloved back to the future ride) and then ride the mummy.
during this entire time, jed was very natural and non-suspicious, much to my dismay because i had suspected (and hoped) that he would choose this day to propose to me.
anyhow, we continued through the day, and at around 4:00 om we made the unanimous decision to stop and rest. after grabbing 2 sprites and a churro (for me!) we headed to the spinning universal globe and sat on the steps to unwind for a bit.
then, after i had just polished off my fried dough dipped in cinnamon and brown sugar, jed turned to me and said, "you know felicia, i've told you that i like you a lot, but i've never told you that i love you."
me, being unsure of what was happening, (since my mind had already decided that he was not going to propose) just simply replied, "nope, you haven't".
jed sweetly returned with, "well, i do. i love you."
me, for some reason still not fully catching up, stated, "really? aw, thank you." (i know, i'm an idiot!)
then, i happened to look down and jed has a box. i started to panic slightly, and as he opens it we both discover that the ring was not in it.
we both start to frantically look for it, jed searching his pockets and i looking around on the ground. i spotted it underneath his legs, so i awkwardly picked it up and handed it back to him. after rearranging it in it's proper holding place, he turns and says, "will you marry me?"
i said yes of course, because i love him to pieces... which i told him, eventually!

i'm so happy to have been blessed with such a great guy, and i can't wait to get married!

about me

2008-07-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't written here in a while... [what else is new?, i can hear you ask] but I have, as usual, been terribly busy. I got a summer job at Sonny's BBQ and it has completely cut me off from the world... well, the world that isn't eating and/or working at the restaurant that is. Anywhooo, tonight I decided that it was time to reconnect myself with everyone via the internet and I stumbled upon this blog entry written by a dear friend that, interestingly enough, tagged me in it. So, because I am so fond of this friend, I will humor her and the other people who read this blog [as I know ye are many] and complete it, difficult as it may be:

The instructions say: “write a blog of ten weird, random things, facts or habits about yourself.”

So here we go: weird, random, facts and habits?

1. I am absolutely in L-O-V-E with beeswax covered in honey. When I was little, a friend of the family had a bee colony and would periodically send their son out in his white bee suit to get some honeycombs. The honey was SO GOOD and the wax was just like gum that we never got tired of munching on. I wish I had some RIGHT NOWWW!!

2. I have horrible luck, which I think most of you know. In any given situation, if you think up the worst case scenario, it's bound to happen to me. Yeah, go ahead and think of one right now... it's probably happened... or it's going to.

3. (I'm stealing this one from someone...) Shock of all shocks, I used to be athletically inclined. I was on a basketball team which I think I TIED with some girl as the second to shortest girl on the team. ;) We weren't very good at first, I think it was lack of experience... because we got better as we went along. It was good times, but sadly, my athletic side has since left me... left me as a unfit has been!

4. My middle name is spelled like an article... you know: a, the, an. My middle name: "An". Ew. How is anyone that reads that supposed to know it's pronounced like "Anne"? Thanks, mom.

5. When I was little, I wanted to be a fire... person. Firewoman? Well, I wanted to fight fires. I don't know why, it just seemed like a job that would suit me. I don't think I knew I was only going to grow like 5 INCHES since my 5th birthday. Oh well, for some people dreams DO come true.

6. I have very narrow feet. I know, I'm a freak. I used to always have a problem buying dress shoes because they were always too wide and would get weird creases and slip off the back of my heels. My mom and I found one shoe place that made narrow shoes one time, which was nice... but now it no longer exists. Luckily my enormous feet have stayed the same size since I was 12, so I don't have to buy nice shoes as often. I still have to lace my shoes so that the shoelace holes almost overlap though, but I guess it's a blessing in disguise because I never untie my laces, my feet just fit into the shoes without me having to take the extra time.

7. I don't really... hiccup normally. Most people have the problem of hiccuping and not being able to get rid of them... sometimes putting up with them for a really long time.But not me! When I hiccup, it's usually only one big noise that makes people turn around and stare... and then that's it. Yeah. Have I mentioned how much of a freak I am?

8. I'm pretty much the most sarcastic person alive. Some call me witty, some call me other names I can't type right now... just kidding! But seriously, I can't help myself. I have to say something smart-alecy... I just can't resist. I'm glad my friends can take a joke... well... at least most of the time. :D

9. I have a sneezing problem! I never sneeze just once... maybe it's my body overcompensating for my lack of hiccuping... Anywho, I sneeze an abnormal amount and it can be pretty embarrassing.

10. I met my husband on Wheel of Fortune and we won a million dollars! Pat Sajak tried to marry me after that, but I told him no.

Ok, the last one was a lie... as you all know I'm neither married nor rich, but I couldn't think of another fact. And for real, how gross would it be if Pat Sajak tried to hit on me. Ew.

Truth is, I'm just not very interesting. :)

THE END!

west africa... finally!

2008-06-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Day 1 & 2 Sunday-Monday – We left for Washington Dulles Airport at 2pm. We drove 4 hours there and waited a while for our plane to France. It took us 8 hours to get to France and we arrived in the middle of the day. All of us were pooped, so we found an area with lounge couch type things and konked out for about 3 hours until our next flight to Dakar. That flight was 5 hours, which wasn’t too bad hour wise, but for those of you who have read my previous blogs or have heard my airplane horror stories from my own lips know that I absolutely H-A-T-E traveling via airplane. We arrived in Dakar around 10 or 10:30 at night where Kwashi, the missionary we were going to be working with, was waiting for us. The airport was packed and ridiculously hot. One of our team members lost his luggage, but we wandered around the airport for a while before finally concluding that it was not there. Coming out of the airport was a little scary. There were a lot of people around and they were all pressing us to help carry our luggage so that they could get a tip. We finally all packed into a van with our luggage, preparing for the hour and a half ride to Thies. We stopped and picked up two more people, Dan and Angie. They were young missionaries who have lived in Dakar for 8 months. They are in the process of getting their ministry going and are currently learning the language and observing the culture. We got to Thies very late and had dinner waiting for us prepared by the Kwashi’s wife, Davi. It was delicious! After dinner we all got to go to bed, thankfully!

Day 2 Tuesday– We met after breakfast for devotions and orientation. During orientation we talked about our plans for the next 2 weeks and went over our schedules. The first week we were going to do TESL, and we had bought books and picked out topics for discussion such as American holidays, health, environment, etc. to use while we interacted with the kids. During orientation we met several of the people we were going to be working with throughout our 2 weeks. After orientation, we girls had some more in depth conversations with Angie and Coreen about the proper conduct for women in the culture, so that was really helpful. Later that afternoon we split up into 2 groups and headed to our first school. We had a plan to read an ABC [A is for Africa, B is for bird, C is for canoe, that kind of thing] book out loud to the kids and then discuss the letters and what they stood for and whatever, but that went out the window when they asked us to go 2 by 2 to visit practically all of the classrooms in the school and introduce ourselves and do a sort of question-answer thing. That went well – I guess, and we then returned to one classroom where they did a couple skits for us and then asked us to do the same… which we totally weren’t expecting. So we somehow were able to make up a skit on the spot to perform and it turned out pretty ok. Little did we know that this sort of thing was going to be happening to us all week…

I can’t really remember the specifics of the following days, but we visited several schools never once opening a book or discussing the topics we had picked out with the missionaries. I think it really taught us a big lesson on flexibility and learning the value of quality time instead of structured schedules. We mostly kind of hung out in the classrooms and observed or told a little about ourselves and did some question-answer kind of stuff. They were really interested in what we thought about our government and always wanted us to sing songs for them.

… Whatever day this is… Saturday – This was the day of the English Festival. We had prepared a skit to do [Lifehouse – Everything] and some songs to sing. All of the schools involved worked really hard on their skits and they were all really creative on the different ways to address their topic: KIDS HAVING KIDS.
Yeah. We totally didn’t know that was the topic, so to them our skit was going to be completely random and nonrelated. It was a really powerful skit that I’m not sure any of them understood, but at the end of it a woman yelled “Jesus is Alive!”, which was really awesome so if they didn’t get the point while we were performing, they got it then.
Sunday – We attended and English speaking international church in Dakar, and they were very welcoming. They had all of us stand up and give our names and where we were from, and afterwards offered us drinks [I’ll clarify here that the beverages were non-alcoholic, as I hope many of you assumed] and gathered us in a circle to tell us more about their ministry and to learn more about us. After church we took a ferry to Goree Island [I have no idea if I’m spelling that correctly], to see the fort where slaves had been deported. The island was absolutely gorgeous, though the time there was bittersweet considering the horrible things that had occurred on the island.

During the course of the week Angie had taken us girls to the market where we picked out fabric and had a tailor come and measure us and make wrap skirts and head coverings. The skirts turned out beautifully!

The following week we did a basketball camp, and those of us who were not athletically inclined felt a bit useless. We mostly played with the kids or took naps… and some of us even got a little discouraged because we felt like we hadn’t accomplished much during this mission trip… until one morning, Dave did devotions with us and talked about the parable of the talents. Someone made a catch phrase for the day: “Let’s invest”, so we went out and decided to. We had the afternoon free, so we visited a school that we had been to a lot the previous week, where there was an English club who we had befriended and really liked. We went into the schoolyard and noticed that every one of them was standing around doing nothing… it turns out the teachers had gone on strike and they were just hanging out. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but we all just started witnessing to them, some one on one and others to a group of 3 or 4… maybe more. It was amazing the resolve we had upon entering the school and seeing how God had worked everything out so we had a free day on the same day the teachers had gone on strike and how we had just talked about investing in people’s lives. I got to talk to a guy and share with him about Jesus. I didn’t realize how little I knew about his religion, so I got to learn a lot about it while at the same time teach him about mine. I don’t think I thought about how difficult it would be to try and convert a Muslim, because just as I am so grounded in my faith, so is he. It was also a challenge to try and relate with him because the only person he knew from the Bible besides Jesus was Moses, so basing all my religious fact off of Moses was not something I was used to doing, but God gave me a lot of insight and I was able to relate with him really well. After talking with him for a while I realized there was not much more I could say to him, I had told him all of the evidence I could think of to prove that the Bible was true and that Jesus is God, so the only thing I could do was pray for him to think about the truth and choose it above Muhammad.

One day of this week we went to a village and did a medical clinic. We got some nurses from the hospital and some medication and travelled about an hour out of Thies. The government had put a clinic in the middle of this village, but they had no medicine or doctors there. It was just an empty building serving no purpose. The nurse from our group and the nurses from the hospital worked all day in the clinic treating the people in the village while the rest of us went around and visited the school and played soccer with some of the kids. Even after spending hours in the village there were still people who hadn’t been helped, and I’m not even sure if any other nurses will be visiting the village soon. It was very sad to see all the children with runny noses and sores on their bodies. There was also a baby there who was severely malnourished who was 4 months old, but only looked about 4 days old. We were very sad to leave all of them behind knowing that there was nothing more we were going to be able to do.

The last Sunday we were in Senegal we attended a local church, and the service was entirely in French, except for when we sang “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” for them (they always wanted us to sing for them, and we only had one girl who had talent!) and our leader spoke for a bit on being a light for Christ.

The next day we went to Touba, wherein held the largest mosque in West Africa. We had to be covered from head to toe, and it was scorching hot. While we were there we took a tour of the mosque and did a prayer walk. It was unbelievably sad to see the people there worshipping knowing that they were so misguided and in desperate need to hear the truth. [I'm not sure why the picture is so small... a little ironic though, huh?]

We left Senegal on Tuesday, spending some time with Dan and Angie before we left. It was that morning that we discovered that 3 people from our group had developed malaria! Fortunately we caught it before we left and were able to get proper medication, but they still had a hard time traveling.

All in all it was a great experience and God taught me so much! He showed His awesome power and His divine timing in everything. He also taught me that I should live a more abundant life because of the gift of eternal life He has given me. The people in Senegal are so happy, and they don’t even have Jesus… so I realized how much more happy I should be because Jesus came that I might have life more abundantly.

Please pray for the people in Senegal, and pray for the missionaries we left behind, that they will be encouraged and that God will bless their efforts.

Sorry to everyone who was waiting for me to finally put this post up! I will have more to share about my summer soon...

quick update

2008-05-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

hi friends! i'm back from senegal and am working on my longest blog ever. stay tuned. :)

the day of birth

2008-04-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

wednesday was my 22nd birthday!
let me tell you how it went down.
first, i was treated to a lovely meal at koto's, a japanese steakhouse. jed and i barely made it in before closing time, and while we know that is not the nicest thing to do, it was justified by it being a special occasion. so we told ourselves.
they were even kind enough to sing me happy birthday, and also another song in japanese... which i assume had something to do with birthdays, but since i am not fluent in the language, nor does my japanese vocabulary stretch farther than the word "konnichiwa", i cannot be certain.
some of my friends decorated my door:

my wonderful friend julie took me to moe's where we got some huge burritos that were absolutely delicious:
and finally, on friday a bunch of us went putt-putting in the rain:

I had a lot of fun, and I cannot think of a better way to have celebrated my birthday.

on a sadder note, finals are coming up and i have much to do to prepare. it's practically killing me, but it will all be over soon.

THEN...

God provided all of the money for me to go to Senegal!! on may 11 i will be on my way there and i can't wait!

only a couple more weeks...

random

2008-04-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

dwayne carson tapped my shoulder and asked if i was from argentina. hm.

march madness

2008-03-30T13:13:00.001-07:00

so someone told me i have to write another post or i would entirely miss march... which is actually true. so here goes the summary of march:

the most eventful thing that happened in march is that i raised a whole lot of money for my mission trip to senegal this summer. my mom organized a HUGE yard sale that made around $800! i also set up a promo table at my church and made quite a bit of money there. i was also interviewed for the palatka daily news... because i'm just that cool. as of right now i have $2,185! $1,000 to go, but i'm really encouraged.

a week and a half before spring break, i traveled with the softball team to florida and we played like 16 games and had some fun.

spending easter [well, half of easter] with the fam was nice, and i got to see a couple friends.

the other half of easter was spent in the atlanta airport. story:

i've never travelled by plane by myself before, so i had absolutely no idea how the whole system went. to be honest, jacksonville airport wasn't that intimidating, even though i had to remove my FLIP FLOPS to go through security and they practically frisked me... i managed to make it through everything and get onto the humongous plane to atlanta unscathed.

the trip on the plane was a little scary only when we were landing and the pilot had a tendency to make the plane plummet to the ground for like 5 seconds instead of easing it own slowly as i had assumed. it was enough to make me conclude strongly that i dispised airplane travel.

upon arriving at the massive atlanta airport, my concourse wasn't too far [so i thought], so i decided to forgo the ridiculously cool transit system. i seated myself at gate B32 and waited for an hour for my plane. about 5 minutes before my plane was supposed to take of, i wasn't seeing any type of actions taking place that would suggest we were to be leaving shortly, so i got a little worried, but thought my plane must just be delayed, and t was no big deal. i waited 15 more minutes then gathered the courage to go to talk to someone. conversation following:

me: "miss, the flight to richmond is delayed?"

miss [or mrs.?]: "honey, this plane was never going to richmond."

me, pulling out my clear evidence on the ticket: "my ticket says this is the gate the plane was supposed to leave from. does this mean i missed my flight?"

miss: "i'm sorry honey, this was never the gate for richmond, and yes, you missed your flight. they put you on another flight leaving at 9:21 at gate B4. you need to make sure to check up at the desk next time."

me: "thank you."

end of conversation.

9:21 was another 2 hours of waiting, but i went to the gate and made absolutley ure that it was the correct one, and waited there for about an hour. suddenly, the woman at the gate desk announced to everyone else who was waiting with me that the flight to richmond was moved to another gate, and not only that, but to another concourse! so all of us grabbed our stuff and headed toward the cool transit system, because seriously, another concourse was like walking to another country.

the train was packed and me, being slightly under average in height, had to really stretch to grab onto the handles coming out out the top of the train, my armpit embarrasingly very close to a young boy's face. i almost didn't grab onto anything, but let me tell you, i was lucky i did because seriously, that train took off so fast i almost popped my arm out of socket.

i FINALLY got onto a plane taking me to richmond, seated in the very back of this teeny tiny plane right in front of the bathrooms. the ride was ok, not too scary. we landed in richmond after 11 p.m.

poor jed had to wait 2 hours at the richmond airport for me, he was a real trooper.

so here i am in good old lynchburg back at LU. we only have a month of school left and then i'm off to intern!

my fingers are now sore from typing, so i will end this post. i hope you all thoroughly enjoyed my march update. i know all of you check my blog every day hoping to soak in my clever words. :)

ciao!

blessings!

2008-02-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

God is so great! He fixed everything. my car just needed the battery cleaned. that's all. can you believe it? it's fine.

God above all the world in motion
God above all my hopes and fears
And I don't care what the world throws at me now
I'm gonna be alright

Hear the sounds of the generations
Making loud our freedom song
All in all that the world would know Your name
It's gonna be alright

Cause I know my God saved the day
And I know His word never fails
And I know my God made a way for me
Salvation is here

- Hillsong

i'm so blessed. God is just so good to me, and i totally don't deserve it!

p.s.

2008-02-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

i needed a pick me up. watch this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

direction.

2008-02-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

dear everyone,
i am FREAKING out.
here's why:
A. everything was going wonderfully.
B. the wonderfulness was flushed down the toilet.

my car died, my spring break is ruined, my extra money has to be spent on a car and NOT a plane ticket. and i can't tell if God is telling me that i shouldn't go to senegal or if it's just satan trying to discourage me. my passport and shots money is now my extra money that is going towards my car. obviously i need these things to go! during spring break i had a lot of plans to raise money for my trip, and everything was going great. but now since i can no longer afford a plane ticket i cannot do all the things i planned. i'm really confused, so i'm backing out of it and taking care of the here and now, knowing that tomorrow and the future has enough trouble, and that God will not give me more than i can bear.
please pray!

oh dear.

2008-02-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

have i mentioned how crazy my life is right now? i'm way in over my head this semester. but i will stop complaining. i decided to cling to this verse to get me through: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13.
there's life after college! yay!
anywho. me madre is making me put my school address on here for those of you who would like to participate in my "venture" to africa. it is:
LU Box 23142
Lynchburg, VA. 24502

if you would like to send any contributions directly to the ministry i am traveling with you may send it to:
Light Ministries
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24502

please all checks payable to "Light Ministries" and include a note that the check is intended to help with my trip.

i'm so excited about this opportunity!!

in other news, well... there is no other news.

life update and liberty fun.

2008-02-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

well... i wouldn't exactly call all of it fun...
school has been school and nothing else. i feel like my life is completely taken over by classes and softball practice. i'm not sure how many people know that i am an equipment manager for the school's softball team, but that i am. my roommate alex and i got the gig last august, and it has been most helpful to my tuition, considering i get a $4,000 scholarship. we really enjoy helping out with the team, and the girls are really great!
i don't think i ever told anyone the classes i am taking this semester, so i suppose i shall fill you all in:
Family Economic Decisions [FACS 305]
Early Childhood Education [FACS 260]
Information Technology [INFT 110]
Math for the Liberal Arts [MATH 115]
English Literature II [ENGL 216]
and for an elective and hopefully easy "a", Art Appreciation [VCAR 105]

i tried to take easy classes, since i knew i would be traveling a lot with the softball team, but i seem to have a lot of stuff to do for some reason, and it really stinks. but oh well... this too shall pass.
i am also meeting with my advisor soon to discuss the highly probable possibility of graduating in december, which would be positively excellent. pray that i will be able to do this, because i am in school loan debt up to about 7 feet over my head and cannot possibly endure another semester, as much as i love being here.

another exciting thing: i am hoping to go to senegal, west africa in the summer! i have to raise $3,200, and only have $325. i am really excited about this opportunity, and am trusting God to provide for me to serve Him through this trip. we are mainly focusing on the college aged people, teaching english as a second language and helping with their medical clinics. please pray for me about this, i would greatly appreciate it.

i think this basically sums up all my happenings here. i will end with my song of the week, that alex and i have been addicted to... partially because it's so funny, and also because it s sort of catchy... but only sort of. it's just mostly funny. here goes:

I need you boo
I gotta see you boo
And there's hearts all over the world tonight
Said there's hearts all over the world tonight
I need you booI gotta see you boo
And there's hearts all over the world tonight
Said there's hearts all over the world tonight

Hey lil mama, ooh you're a stunner
Hot little figure, yes you a winner, and
I'm so glad to be yours
You're a class of your own and
Ooh little cutie, when you talk to me
I swear the whole world stops
You're my sweetheart and
I'm so glad that you're mine
You are one of a kind, and
You mean to me what I mean to you
And together baby there is nothing we won't do

'Cause if I got you
I don't need money
I don't need cars
Girl you're my heart
And oh, I'm into you and
Girl no one else would do

With every kiss and every hug
You make me fall in love
And now I know I can't be the only one
I bet there's hearts all over the world tonight
With the love of their life who feel
What I feel when I'm with you,
with you, with you, with you, with you... girl
With you, with you, with you, with you, with you... Oh girl

I don't want nobody else
Without you there's no one left, and
You're like Jordans on Saturday
I gotta have you and I cannot wait now

Hey lil shorty, say you care for me
You know I care for you
You know that I will be true
You know that I won't lie
You know that I will try
Be your everything

'Cause if I got you
I don't need money
I don't need cars
Girl you're my heart
Oh, I'm into you and
Girl no one else would do
With every kiss and every hug
You make me fall in love
And now I know I can't be the only one
I bet there's hearts all over the world tonight
With the love of their life who feel
What I feel when I'm with you, with you, with you, with you, with you... ohhh
With you, with you, with you, with you, with you... Yeah

And I will never try
To deny that you are my whole life
Cause if you ever let me go
I would die so I won't run
I don't need another woman
I just need you or nothing'
Cause if I got that
Then I'll be straight
Baby you're the best part of my day

I need you boo
I gotta see you boo
And there's hearts all over the world tonight
Said there's hearts all over the world tonight
They need their boo
They gotta see their boo
Said there's hearts all over the world tonight
Hearts all over the world tonight

well. i didn't know it was that long. but i love it, and i don't know why. it just makes me laugh so much... anyhow, i hope you all are doing wonderfully, and thanks ever so much for stopping by.

fun days

2008-01-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

school started on monday and so far my classes are fine. i am a little overwhelmed because i will have a lot more homework than i thought, and i had hoped to make this semester a little easier because i will be traveling a lot with softball. on thursday we had a snow day, so LU shut down and we played in the snow all day! it was a blast.

also, today was my friend julie's 21st birthday so we went to eat at Moe's (a burrito place) and to FunQuest where we roller-skated and played laser tag.

wonderfulness has been occuring! but i know it will soon be gone as things begin to pick up... oh how i dread that day.

happy new year!

2008-01-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

it's 2008! i was sitting here with my parents watching "dirty jobs" and it just hit me. it's really 2008. i'm getting so old! i can't believe i'll be 22 this year. it's amazing how fast the years go by as you get older. i mean, my mom always said that it happens, but i neve really believed her. i guess the saying really is true, "mom knows best".
oh well. so today i resoluted that i will start the "body for life" program, because i think healthiness is important, and also because since going to school i have become a total cow. not really in the sense that i am going around saying "moo", but more so in the sense that i have gained a significant amount of weight. i would put before and after photos, but i really don't think it would be appropriate.
some other resolutions would include:
- putting more of an effort into reflecting God's love to others
- minimizing my use of the word "freaking" and hopefully eliminating it altogether (i really don't like that i say it)
- being wise in my financial decisions
- pick and choose my battles

so there you have it. my list.
last night i attended a hoppin party at my friend katie's house to celebrate the impending new year. it was nice seeing everyone, and the fireworks in the back yard were spectacular. i wish i had taken pictures with my new camera that i got for christmas, but i'm just so used to not having a camera that i just did not think about documenting the event photographically.
so, with the information above being all i care to share with you all today, i will end this post with a heartfelt, genuine wish that your 2008 is a wonderful one.

hilariousness.

2007-12-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

p.s. i found this video to be particularly funny, and thought i would share it. a welcome video, if you will:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw

my pre-blog blog

2007-12-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

so i figured that one of new year's resolutions would be to start and maintain a blog. i think it would be helpful to me in some way, and also give people a chance to catch up on my life since i am not very good at keeping in touch. so, a shout out to all of my friends as they venture through my attempt at life by my side... via blogging. starting january 1st, of course.